Prime minister Victor Ponta, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud meeting in Riyadh

AGERPRES special correspondent, Doroteea Purcarea reports: Prime minister Victor Ponta has had a meeting on Thursday with the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Premier Victor Ponta is welcomed by Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the royal palace in Riyadh
Photo credit: Liviu SOVA / AGERPRES PHOTO

At the meeting which took place at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, the Romanian Prime minister was accompanied by Economy minister Mihai Tudose, Health minister Nicolae Banicioiu, Education minister Sorin Cimpeanu, State Secretary with the Interior Ministry for political analysis and relation with the Parliament Radu Podgorean, and the former Foreign Intelligence Service head Teodor Melescanu, currently a PM's counselor on Defence and Security matters.

The visit to Saudi Arabia is an important stage in the bilateral relationships' level, as it is a first visit of a Romanian Prime minister since the diplomatic relations with this country were established, 20 years ago.

According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the volume of the commercial trade between Romania and Saudi Arabia reached in 2014 rd USD 400 million.

The Romanian community of Saudi Arabia is made of about 450 persons, Romanian women in general married to locals or to foreigners temporarily there, as well as citizens who develop their activity in this country, on private contracts or closed through foreign companies. AGERPRES